BFAD considers that -

1. Registration of food products locally produced for local-market distribution is not mandatorily required;

2. Pursuant to Art 112 (f) of R.A. 7394 or the Consumer Act, registration of food products, among others, is required as a condition precedent to the advertisement of such product;

3. The registration of a food product takes a period from three to six months which would cause the delay in the launching of a food product even as the same product is locally produced for the local commercial distribution, hence may already be made available to the consuming public.

To avoid unnecessary delay in the launching/advertising of locally produced food products for local commercial distribution and consistent with Section 16 (a) of R.A. 3720 as amended, this order confirms the system of issuing a Provisional Permit to Market for a period of three (3) months to take the place of the regular Certificate of Product Registration under the following terms and conditions:

1. the application for food product registration has been completely subjected to pre-assessment and the same has been found to have complied with all the documentary and labelling requirements;

2. the only registration process lacking shall be the validation by laboratory analysis of the declared specifications, the final evaluation and issuance of the Certificate of Product Registration;

3. there is no safety issue on any of the declared ingredients.

This Order confirms further that Provisional Permit to Market, having been provided to allow locally produced food products to be advertised pending approval of the application for registration shall not cover imported food products which are required to be mandatorily registered before their commercial distribution in the Philippine market.

Fees for the issuance of the said Provisional Permit to market will be included in the proposed Administrative Order to update fees and charges being collected by the Bureau in accordance with existing laws, rules and regulations. In the meantime and until such Administrative Order shall have been duly approved, Provisional Permit to Market shall be issued by the Bureau free of fees and charges.

Adopted: 21 May 1996